Space Science Education, where "Engineering Meets Education"

You don’t have to work for an Aerospace Company to design and build Spaceflight Hardware!

The Rocket City Space Pioneers have put together a space science education program that involves students, engineers, and scientists working closely together to build and fly cool aerospace hardware. The "Engineering Meets Education" program takes rocket science and makes it hands-on where students get to design and build spaceflight components for the real world, or the Moon, in this case! The pilot program is with the Huntsville Center for Technology. As the program grows, we hope to expand it outside of Huntsville. We are looking for great ideas and innovative solutions to technical problems. Participants of this program can help make space travel cheaper and faster. They can help the Rocket City Space Pioneers conquer the task of landing on the Moon and driving a rover 500 meters to send messages back to earth. No commercial organization has ever accomplished this, and that's why the Google Lunar X PRIZE was created, to inspire innovation and space exploration!

There will be regular monthly meetings for the team, which may increase to bi-monthly meetings as the program ramps up. In addition to contributing to a worthwhile educational project and being a part of history in the making, volunteers will have an opportunity to sharpen their skills and do some technical networking with like-minded individuals and companies in the community. We will make available a seat of Solid Edge software to each committed volunteer who needs design CAD tools so support our HCT initiatives.

Students select the "Engineering Meets Education" program that best suits their skills and interests:

1. The Rocket City Rovers (RCR) program is for pioneers with an interest in robotics, artificial
intelligence, imaging, telemetry, and communications. Rovers will help us drive around on the Moon, take pictures, and transmit data back to Earth from space.

2. The Rocket City Landers (RCL) program is for pioneers who are interested in firing rocket engines and flying cool stuff in space and landing it on the Moon!

It's rocket science for real!
Many tasks in life claim "It's not rocket science," but in this case it certainly is a real mission to the Moon: Students will be designing and building real space science and technology solutions! It is rocket science when you are going to the Moon!

Space Science Education Links at NASA.gov

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OTHER PAGES ABOUT SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION

The Great Moonbuggy Race

The Great Moonbuggy Race - Huntsville Center for Technology, team member of the Rocket City Space Pioneers, competes in human powered moonbuggy race held annually at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Rover Rapid Prototype

Rover Rapid Protoype: In the Computer Repair and Electronics lab at the Huntsville Center for Technology. The rover pictured here is their first version built with parts they had in stock in their lab. The video shows a motor running while being controlled from a nearby computer.

Robotic Rover MARCbot

Robotic Rover MARCbot IV-N: Marty Kress, executive director of the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation (VCSI), showcases his robot, 'Marcbot IV-N,' at the Huntsville Center for Technology.

RCSP Engineers - The Next Generation

RCSP Engineers - The Next Generation: Mike Graves, Rocket City Space Pioneers Technical Lead, has passed his enthusiasm for space exploration on to his 12-year-old daughter, Laurie. Recently, when she was not playing soccer, she was spending her free time on her Science Fair project, a lunar lander experiment that examines the maximum angle at which a lunar lander could land on the moon without tipping over.

Huntsville Space and Rocket Center

Huntsville's Space and Rocket Center: The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville can been seen from many miles away. It's not the impressive building that hosts priceless space artifacts that a visitor sees first, but a structure outside that towers high above it. That structure is the museum's full-scale model of the Saturn V rocket. At 363 feet high, it is as long as a football field and as tall as a 36-foot building.

Spaceship House

One of the most unusual things inspired by the Space Age was the spaceship house. Designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen, it resembled the round flying saucers that aliens have supposedly used to visit Earth.

National Air and Space Museum

For anyone interested in aviation, the Milestones of Flight hall at the National Air and Space Museum is the closest thing to heaven on Earth. Just overhead hangs the world's first airplane, the Wright Flyer. Hanging nearby are Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis and the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis, which Chuck Yeager flew through the sound barrier.

See My House from Space

See My House from Space: Thanks to modern satellites and the Internet, it is now possible to see your house from space. Not only will you be able to view where you live, you can also learn a lot about your neighborhood and local community in the process.

Balloon Car

Balloon cars are a safe and inexpensive way to teach students about the principles of rocketry. Specifically, a balloon car can demonstrate two of Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Rocket Science

The phrases "rocket science" and "rocket scientists" are tossed around quite a lot. Someone is a "rocket scientist" if he or she is very intelligent or works for NASA or in the space industry. "It's not rocket science" is a phrase that describes something that should be easy to understand or do.

What do Astronauts Eat in Space

What do astronauts eat in space? Today's astronauts eat a variety of tasty space foods and snacks, all made to keep them happy and healthy during their long stays in space.